Monday, April 03, 2006

Mayor taps traders in San Fernando governance

By Albert B. LacanlaleSun Star

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- In a bid to improve the state of governance in the city, Mayor Oscar Rodriguez has appointed "respectable" business leaders here to the newly created Multi-Sectoral Governance Council.

Created under Executive Order (EO) CMO2006-004, the governance council is one of the Rodriguez administration's move to "enhance the partnership between the government and all sectors of the society in improving the quality of people's life, delivery of social services, income generation and infrastructure adequacy towards becoming a truly progressive city with model governance."

The governance council is composed of a cross-section of the community of San Fernando. Its members are leaders from various organizations and enterprises whose inputs and ideas will provide the City Government with an innovative perspective on governance.

Those appointed as members of the council mostly belong to the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc., including group president Levy Laus and vice president Rene Romero.

While Laus was picked on his capacity as the group's president and chairman, Romero was tasked to represent Romac Industries.

The council directors are Alfrito Mah of the Rotary Club of San Fernando, Eddie Chua of the Federation of the Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ma. Theresa Laus of the City Tourism Council, Lourdes Javier of the San Lorenzo Ruiz Center of Studies and Schools, Conrad Garcia of Real Estate Brokers Association, and Jorge Gumba of the San Fernando Water District.

Rodriguez said the creation of the council is a move by the City Government to involve the stakeholders and the private sector in governance.

He said since the various sectors of the community are the direct benefactors of actions/ordinances from the local government, it is but right that they be consulted and actually participate in the process of governance.

City Administrator Sonia Soto, who is also the Public Governance System Focal Person, said gone are the days when the running of the government rests solely in the hands of the elected and appointed officials.

"The governance system aims to make the leader of the City Government irrelevant in the sense that its role would be relegated to the implementation of the result of its consultation with the council," she said.